Golden Melody (Editing)

Chapter 35

Chapter 35 - Bleach and Blood

Zatariel wiped the last streak of grime from the newly replaced sink, straightened, and surveyed the boys' comfort room and kitchen with bleary pride.

"Twelve hours," he rasped.
"At last, this place can survive another decade without food poisoning-or tetanus."

A crooked grin twitched across his face-then his knees buckled.

"Whoa-easy."

Zaren Wov caught his son just before he hit the tile.
"You overdid it again."

Outside, the warden stood with several staff and detainees.

"He's something else," the warden said with a chuckle.
"A weird, uptight clean freak, but we owe him."

"He'd deny it if he heard you say that," Zaren replied dryly.

"He won't," the warden said, nodding toward the boy.
"He's asleep. So we wrote him a letter instead."

Zaren gave a short nod. He tucked a box beneath his arm and carried Zatariel out to the parking bay.

His phone buzzed. President Ashel Dom.

He answered.

Ashel (on call):

"Zaren, I've reviewed the report. His punishment ends today."

Zaren:
"I'm relieved to hear that, Pres."

Ashel:
"But tell him this. One more illegal stunt, and he's going to juvenile for real."

Zaren:
"Understood."

Zaren strapped the unconscious boy into the passenger seat, double-checked the seatbelt, then slid into the driver's side.

Just as he reached for the ignition, something moved lazily beneath the gear shift.

A thin, emerald-scaled snake.

Zaren sighed through his nose. "So you were the one who spooked him earlier."

The snake lifted its head.

A shimmer of green light rippled through the air, and the serpent reshaped into a woman with porcelain skin, waist-length black hair, and luminous jade eyes.

She wore nothing.

"Ren," she breathed, soft as silk.

Unfazed, Zaren shrugged off his coat and draped it over her shoulders. "I appreciate the concern, Lia. But don't go around traumatizing him."

She slipped her arms into the sleeves and perched lightly on his lap.

"Back seat," Zaren said, tilting his head toward Zatariel.
"Not in front of my son, even if he's asleep."

Lia bit her lip and nodded, sliding quietly into the rear seat.

"My apologies," she said.
"But I do have news. Magnus Hamilton has begun construction on his casino in Capital City, right after the fall of the Knight Royal Casino. Even the president can't halt the permits this time. If that building finishes, human trafficking and illegal experiments will multiply."

Zaren's expression hardened. "Then we stop him before the doors open."

The engine rumbled to life. Zaren glanced at his sleeping son, then at the box of letters, and shifted the car into drive.

In the back seat, Lia had buckled herself in and was already sorting files on a digital tablet.

Zaren spoke quietly. "Codename Chameleon. The high school mission. Update me."